A Forgotten Story: Summer of 1000 Dreams
by Loyal Subject
Summary: After being forced to join the Fire Nation Army, Kazuya Kunisaki is expecting a long, boring summer. It isn't until he meets a girl named Chikayume that he realizes this will be a cherishing, unforgettable summer: one that is destined to last a lifetime.
1. Arrival of the Delinquent Soldiers

_Alright so this is my latest fan-fiction. To tell you the truth, this story is already complete. I just decided to upload it now he he. So anyway, I have some things to say before you start reading. One, as I am sure you noticed, I did not select any characters from the show Avatar and that is because there aren't any! All the characters you will read about are completely original. This means that before you start reading I'm warning you: these characters are original and if you don't like that then don't read it. I have had experience in this section before and flamers: I WILL come after you. The second thing is there are some characters that are in my first Avatar fanfiction. However, these characters have been completely modified so if you've read that poorly written story I can assure you things are different. I also don't encourage anyone to read the original.....ever. _

_Okay enough introductions, let's get on with this. I may update this every few days or every week depending on the reviews and what not. Oh wait! There's something else: there are a TON of Clannad references and you will see some characters have similar personality traits to those in the series. That's simply because I was obsessed with After Story when I wrote this....yup that's it now....Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged. I can always go back and edit parts. _

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar....duh.**  
_

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~A Forgotten Story~

The Summer of 1000 Dreams

**Arrival of the Delinquent Soldiers**

"Plays are the best!" Kazuya Kunisaki yelled with excitement at the top of his lungs as the crowd cheered at his performance. "I'm totally going to go professional! Some day you'll see me performing on the legendary Ember Island!"

As the young eighteen year old continued to stand on the stage, rambling away to the audience, his father frowned.

**OoOoOo**

"There is no reason for me to join the army! There are plenty of other Fire Nation men who can fight!" Kazuya shouted across the table at his father.

"Hold your tongue Kazuya!" his father barked back at him. Kazuya paused for a moment, soon seating himself down. He stared warily at his father angered by the fact that he was obeying his orders. "Our family has been in the military for years and my son is going to be no exception! You will not dishonor this family. It's time to grow up and take on responsibility." Kazuya gritted his teeth as his father lectured him. The information came through one ear and out the other. It was all just an excuse to take away his dream of becoming an actor. "Not another word about this matter. You are joining the Fire Nation Army to serve your nation and that is final."

**OoOoOo**

Kazuya sat on the boat that would be transporting him to an occupied Earth Kingdom town. His expression was solemn with a pipe hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, Kazuya," one of the soldiers next to him said, smirking.

"What is it, Zano?" Kazuya said, his voice monotone, uninterested in a conversation as he stared at the direction of the sea.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. Look on the bright side; we don't have to worry about combat. All we have to do is occupy a small dinky Earth Kingdom town. How much easier can it get?"

"Or we could not be here in the first place." A puff of smoke came out of his pipe.

"Such pessimistic thoughts Kazuya." Kazuya made no notion to reply as the boat continued to travel across the sea.

The boat arrived towards the Earth Kingdom territory shortly after the two friends' conversation. Kazuya failed to cheer up at all along the way there, merely keeping the dull expression on his face. However, as soon as the small band of soldiers exited the ship and were now on land once more, Kazuya could not help but to feel a sense of relief. Not to mention, the site of the small town was some what surprising making it near impossible for him to feel gloomy. The town seemed to be as it always had been. People bustled around the market as though nothing was wrong. It was as though the war did not exist and there were no soldiers watching their every move.

Kazuya followed Zano as they began to explore the village. The warmth of the summer day glistened across the two soldiers' uniforms. The various birds were chirping, offering a content setting. Kazuya's eyes moved around the village. They then focused on a petite girl attempting to wait in line for some rice. However, the much taller figures simply pushed her aside.

"Um excuse me...." the girl attempted to reply, hoping the person would allow her to go back in her spot. However, he did not and instead more people began to push her back. "Umm...." she continued despite the fact her voice would not carry across to the much taller people. While this was going on, Kazuya calmly walked towards the chaotic line, if it could still be called a line, wishing to help the poor unfortunate soul.

"Kazuya?" Zano said as he noticed his friend walking away.

"Hey," Kazuya said to the first man who had pushed the small girl out of the way. "Why don't you let the lady back in line?" As soon as the man saw who was addressing him, he immediately obeyed and allowed the girl to come in front of him. Once Kazuya saw that he had actually accomplished something, he laid back away from the crowd. It did not take long for the crowd to disperse as everyone began to go their separate ways. By that time, Zano had found his friend and stood next to him all the while wondering exactly what he was doing. Kazuya knew Zano wanted to ask what was going on more than anything but Kazuya simply gave his friend a look that told him not to even bother asking. Luckily, Zano could at least take a hint.

To Kazuya's surprise, the girl walked up towards him, this time with a basketful of food.

"Umm...thank you very much..." she said very quietly almost inaudible. Zano immediately brightened up at the sight of her.

"Wow Kazuya, you didn't tell me _this _was what you were doing! She's such a cutie!" the idiot exclaimed loudly for almost the world to hear. The girl blushed while at the same time backing away in fear, looking as though she were prepared to run away.

"It was nothing," Kazuya replied, "And don't be afraid of my friend. He's just an idiot." The girl paused for a moment, as if processing the information. She took another look at Zano and then nodded in understanding.

"If you don't mind my asking...." the girl said, once again nearly inaudible, "You two ...don't seem like soldiers...."

"We're delinquent soldiers," Kazuya said.

"And proud of it!" Zano chimed in.

"Oh...I see....I didn't know those existed in the Fire Nation...." she said thoughtfully.

"Well of course there are lazy bums like us who don't give a damn about the war...let alone fighting in it," Kazuya replied, moving the pipe to the other side of his mouth.

"Here! Here!" Zano shouted enthusiastically.

"What are you two doing just standing around!?" a stern voice shouted from behind the two soldiers. The two quickly stopped in their train of thought and gulped. Reluctantly, they looked up at their commander whose face was red. "GET ON PATROL!"

"But we're on patrol...." Zano replied.

"Well make it LOOK like you're on patrol instead of standing around like you're a citizen of the Earth Kingdom!" the commander continued to shout. At least they thought he was a commander...they weren't really sure nor did they care.

"Yes sir," Kazuya said sourly. The commander nodded and then walked away no doubt to check on the other new arrivals. "So anyway, what's your name?" Kazuya asked, acting as though nothing happened.

"Umm...well...my name is....Chikayume..." the girl replied, "Chikayume Ami."

"I'm Kazuya Kunisaki and this is my friend Zano Suzuke."

"Ms. Ami....Ms. Ami!" someone called from behind the group. Chikayume looked towards the direction at the sound of her name. A tall, frantic looking man was practically running towards her.

"Oh hello Shu," Chikayume replied to the man.

"What are you doing _here_! Come along, we have to go back home," Shu said as he tugged her away from the two Fire Nation soldiers. She looked back towards them as she was being dragged away.

"Uh...bye...see you later..." she said just as quiet as ever. The two friends waved as she disappeared into the crowd.

"Well, that was rather interesting," Zano remarked, chuckling.

"Yeah, I guess," Kazuya replied. "Though I don't think things are going to get that much more interesting...."

Kazuya looked up at the sky as the summer sun beat down on the two. "Yup, this is going to be one long, un-forgetful summer."


	2. An Actor's Lament

**An Actor's Lament**

It was now nearing towards the late hours of the evening. To Kazuya's expectations, the first day had been long and boring the only interesting event being Chikayume and even that was not nearly as excited as he wished it would be. Luckily, his patrol was over, the night crew was now out and about which meant he was free to do as he pleased. Unfortunately, he now found himself in one of the lounges for the soldiers with half of them drinking away and making complete fools of themselves. Normally, he enjoyed making a fool of himself; he _was _an actor after all: he just preferred to do so while he was sober. Even Zano was making a complete idiot of himself then again when did that _not _happen? The sad thing of it all was Zano was also completely sober.

While Zano was not looking in his direction, Kazuya managed to sneak himself out of the lounge. Perhaps he could now explore the village a little without having to worry of looking professional. As he made his way towards the once busy streets of the village, he lit his pipe again.

It was strange to him that when there was no one around, the village was at complete peace. It annoyed him a little. He never was much for the quiet peaceful places. Kazuya always enjoyed the bustling areas such as those on Ember Island. What he wouldn't give to be there now. He remembered his mother taking him there once: how he loved the people gathering around but what he enjoyed more than ever was the play they had saw. They sat in the back, most likely in the balcony since tickets were expensive and his family did not have the money to get the greatest seats. Yet despite that, he remembered as soon as the play started, seeing the actors dressed up in the most vibrant colors, that was what he wanted to do for a living. Imagine, a twelve year old already knowing what he wanted to do for a living. Though that was a lost cause now, a dead dream destined to float to the bottomless abyss of the sea.

As he walked passed the main square of the market, Kazuya noticed a few toy swords lying on the ground. With curiosity, he picked one up, analyzing the toy. A grin formed in the corner of his mouth as he stared at the prop he had collected. He then positioned himself in front of the main area of the square as though he were on stage. He kept the sword at his side for now while at the same time imagining all the other characters in this particular play around him, communicating with him.

"My men, who have served me faithfully all these many years, tonight we shall face Death itself. Do not show Death the fear that may be running through your veins but instead look Death in the face and laugh for death is simply a new adventure." He paused for a moment as he drew his sword as though he were about to lead a group of men to fight. Though it was meant to be a hopeless battle in which the characters would die in just a few more scenes, Kazuya stood tall as he demonstrated the courage that was meant to be present during this particular scene. "Now let us fight Death with all our strength and if we should lose, let us start our new adventure together!"

Kazuya did not expect what was to happen next. To his surprise, Kazuya heard applause though very faintly. Alarmed, Kazuya turned in the direction of the applause. It further surprised him that Chikayume was the one applauding him. He was also a little happy to see her smiling.

"That was wonderful!" she said and surprisingly her enthusiasm showed through the quiet voice. Kazuya turned red a little. He didn't think he would ever hear someone compliment his acting again.

"Thanks, though I didn't think anyone was watching...." his voice trailed off, "You know, it's past the curfew. Shouldn't you be at home?"

"Do you act often?" she asked, completely ignoring the subject.

"Uhh, I used to....." Kazuya answered though he didn't really want to remember that fact.

"I've always wanted to see a play," she stated, "That was from _The Fire of Agni _by Nozuk right?"

"You mean, you've never seen a play before?" Kazuya asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No..." she sighed, "I've only read them but it's not the same as actually _seeing_ one. Plays aren't meant to be read, they're meant to be seen."

"But aren't you ...you know, rich?" Kazuya asked. Perhaps he was wrong in his deduction. Chikayume blushed at his question.

"Bu...but how did you know that?" she said, sadly.

"Well, it's not like everyone has a lap dog to come and bring them home," he explained.

"M-mr. Shu is _not_ a lap dog!" she fumbled with her words and Kazuya could tell she wasn't comfortable discussing this.

Before he could respond, he heard someone coming. Not to his surprise, another guard who was on patrol approached the two.

"Hey, what are you doing out this late at night? It's past curfew," the soldier said. Chikayume became a nervous wreck.

"I ..I....was...just.....I'm very sorry...." she began to stutter. Kazuya sighed at her response.

"I was just about to escort her home," Kazuya replied. The soldier arched his eyebrow, questioning Kazuya's statement. However, after seeing how nervous Chikayume was, he decided that perhaps it was best to have a soldier escort her home. Upon making this decision, the soldier nodded towards Kazuya, no longer willing to question the matter. Chikayume immediately walked over towards Kazuya so the two could begin traveling to her home.

With the guard still lingering behind them, the two walked away in silence for a few minutes. Kazuya hoped the girl's home was not far seeing as how he was simply overcome with pure laziness to bother walking for a long distance. He never bothered to look down at Chikayume partially due to the fact that he was embarrassed that someone had witnessed his performance. Lucky for him it was just Chikayume however if it had been any of the fellow soldiers, there is no telling what sort of trouble he could have easily gotten himself into.

Kazuya became relieved upon seeing what he thought to be her house in the distance. It was big enough to be the house of a nobleman or so he guessed.

"Kazuya-kun..." he heard a soft voice coming from below him. It startled him for a moment as Chikayume called his name.

"Yeah?" Kazuya asked looking down at her. The girl paused for a moment as her face turned red, embarrassment consuming her as she thought about what she was about to say.

"....Let's put on a play."

"Huh?" Kazuya asked, dumbfounded.

"Let's put on a play," she said again, her words hollow as the confidence withered away.

"Are you serious?" Kazuya asked as he raised an eyebrow, moving his pipe to the other end of his mouth. There was no way this girl could be serious. This was the dumbest idea Kazuya had ever heard in his lifetime.

"Umm...yes," she nearly whispered. Kazuya decided not to reply. This idea was ridiculous, completely ridiculous yet at the same time he could not help but to be interested in the plan. Not wanting to become hopeful, he immediately shut her comments down as a small joke, something that should not be taken seriously.

The two once again walked in silence as they finally approached the main entrance to the Ami household.

"Next time you should be more careful when out late at night. It's not like all the Fire Nation soldiers are harmless," Kazuya said. Chikayume simply nodded.

"The next time I'll meet you in the Yuu house," Chikayume said lowly. Kazuya raised his eyebrow again at the girl's words. However, before he had time to further question her, she was walking back into her household.

Kazuya continued to ponder the strange words of the girl.

_Let's put on a play. _


	3. Unofficial Drama Club

**Unofficial Drama Club**

Kazuya sat at a table, barely touching the breakfast before him. His gaze remained fixated on whatever was in front of him. He was in such a daze that he never bothered to remove the pipe from his mouth.

"Kazuya..." Zano called however Kazuya remained in his trance. "Kazuya," Zano called again, moving his hand up and down in front of Kazuya's vision. Despite his efforts, there was still no response from the actor. "Hey!" Zano finally yelled, this time slapping Kazuya on the back so hard he nearly fell face forward into his food.

"What the hell Zano!" Kazuya shouted, his pipe nearly falling out of his mouth.

"What do you mean what the hell? You're the one that didn't answer me."

"Well what the hell do you want?"

"I just wanted to know if you were going to eat that!" Zano exclaimed as he pointed to Kazuya's breakfast.

"Yeah sure...take it." Zano immediately began to dig into Kazuya's breakfast. "Hey...Zano...do you know where the Yuu house is?"

"Eh? How would I know where it is?" Zano asked as he paid more attention towards his meal. "Why don't you ask one of the veterans? I'm sure they know."

"Yeah...good idea."

"Why do you want to know where the place is anyway?"

"Huh? Oh...no reason," Kazuya said. While Zano continued to eat Kazuya's breakfast, Kazuya took this opportunity to ask one of the veteran soldiers where the Yuu house was located.

"So what's so special about this place anyway?" Zano asked as the two now walked down the streets of the small Earth Kingdom village on their way to the Yuu house. It was just a slight detour from their regular patrolling duties.

"Apparently, a couple was killed there when the Fira Nation took over the village. It's been abandoned ever since," Kazuya explained, "Fire Nation soldiers don't even bother checking up on it."

"Maybe it's haunted," Zano suggested, attempting to sound somewhat terrifying, "or filled with zombies from beyond the grave!"

"Idiot. There's no such thing as ghosts or zombies. What do you read in your spare time?" Kazuya replied, a hint of sarcasm at his last sentence. The two finally stopped in front of a small, old home. The roof was nearly torn down with various holes for the sun to shine down into and nourish the grass covering the floor. Yet, despite the clear places for sunlight, the house still appeared to be full of darkness. The wood was cracked in various places, decaying, wishing to supply a wealthy home with firewood. It was apparent that no one wanted to be near this depressing house, even the animals.

"I wonder why she wanted to meet here," Kazuya said lowly as he gazed at the decrepit house.

"Who?" Zano asked.

"Chikayume," Kazuya replied without hesitating.

"What?" Zano exclaimed, "When did she tell you that?"

"Last night. When I walked her home," Kazuya answered again without having to think. Realizing how he phrased the previous night's events, he nearly choked on his pipe. "I mean while I _escorted_ her home."

"Uh-huh."

"Idiot. It's not what you're thinking. She mentioned something about a play," Kazuya continued to explain as he scratched his head. "This is probably the only opportunity I'll get that involves the stage for a while. Unless I quit the army."

"Kazuya!" Zano shouted, alarmed, "Don't even joke about that! We may be delinquents, but even we can't quit the army. You _know_ that!"

"Yeah, Yeah," Kazuya said.

"If they catch you talking like this, you'll be killed. No one has left the army and lived."

"I got it already. No need to be so serious about it," Kazuya snapped, "Anyway, so I'm supposed to meet her here tonight. Can you cover for me?"

Zano relaxed for a moment. He then gave a big grin. "Sure, I got your back," he said.

"Thanks, I owe you one."

**OoOoOoOoO**

Kazuya slipped silently past the soldiers as they talked amongst themselves. Using only the moon as his light source, Kazuya traveled towards the Yuu house. He was a little skeptical as to whether or not Chikayume would show up considering he had not seen her all day. The streets were quiet, with only the sound of the chirping crickets filling the air. It was peaceful compared to the deafening sounds of the bustling daytime.

Kazuya waited outside the Yuu house, reluctant to wait inside. Luckily for him, he did not have to wait long as he saw a distant figure coming towards him. Within minutes, the image of Chikayume became apparent with her arms filled with thin books piled from her stomach to her chest. She looked rather concerned as she approached him.

"Why aren't you waiting inside? You'll look suspicious. No one watches this place," she said.

"I'm a soldier of the Fire Nation, I can go wherever I please," Kazuya said nonchalantly, "Besides, if I waited inside, how would you know I was here?"

"I had a feeling you'd come, come on," she said as she walked into the abandoned house. Quietly, Chikayume placed the books on the floor and sat next to them. "I picked out some of my favorites. I have more if you want me to bring them next time."

Kazuya scanned the various books. There must have been at least twenty different plays most of which he was familiar with. "Impressive collection," he mentioned as he continued to look through them. "There's just one problem."

"What's that?"

"If we're really going to do this....we need more people. All these plays have more than two characters."

"Oh," Chikayume said, disappointed, "I didn't even think of that."

"I can get Zano to come next time but he's the only one I really know. Do you know anyone who would be interested and can keep their mouth shut?" Chikayume nodded.

"I know one person. I can bring him tomorrow."

"That's good....but you don't know any other girls do you?" Kazuya asked. Chikayume shook her head disappointedly. "I see," Kazuya replied, equally disappointed.

"Well, that just means, we'll have to write our own play," Chikayume said cheerfully.

"Hmm...I guess that works out too," Kazuya said, "though if I have any ideas, I won't be able to write them down right away."

"That's okay, I have a lot of free time," Chikayume replied, smiling, "We can meet here tomorrow night too."

"Uhh...sure," Kazuya responded, "Do you want me to take you home again, so you don't get in trouble?" She nodded and quickly began to pick up her books.

"I'm sorry I haven't been much help," Kazuya said as the two walked back to her house.

"That's fine, I know you're busy. Besides, you have to teach the rest of us how to put on the play," Chikayume replied. "I can walk by myself the rest of the way."

"Okay," Kazuya said, stopping in his tracks as Chikayume continued. He was about to turn around and walk back to the main village but he stopped. "Hey," he called back. Chikayume turned around, responding to his call. "There's something I don't get," Kazuya began, "why do you want to put on a play anyway?"

"I told you," she replied, "I've never seen a play before."

"Yeah, but that can't be the only reason. You're too determined for this to just be about entertainment." Chikayume didn't answer for a while.

"It's because....I want to bring fun back to this village," she finally said.

And with that, she was gone leaving Kazuya alone on the path. Silently, he kicked a stone that was near him as he muttered "idiot". Whether that was directed towards himself or Chikayume, he was not sure.


	4. Recruiting

_I'm really excited that some people other than my friend (who I made read the chapter by force) is actually taking the time to read this. Sweet! Okay, so thank you for all of your reviews! All right so here is the next chapter. Going back, I had completely forgotten how short these chapters were. All I can say is there is at least one really long chapter.....at some point ^^. Anyway, for some reason my microsoft word was unable to pick up a few spelling errors that firefox did....so if there are any I apologize in advance. Enjoy this chapter and once again reviews are welcome....and criticism. ^_^_

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**Recruiting **

Kazuya stared dolefully forward.

"...so then I said, 'Hey, at least I haven't been stuck at the same lowlife post for ten years'. Then he punched me! And that's how I got this bruise..." Zano was explaining while once again Kazuya refrained from listening.

"How the hell does she plan to bring fun with a play performed by a Fire Nation soldier?" Kazuya said clearly irritated.

"What are you talking about?" Zano asked.

"Chikayume. She wants to put on some play...." Kazuya trailed off.

"You mentioned that yesterday, what's the big deal?"

"She wants me to be the lead," Kazuya said, with a hint of embarrassment in his tone of voice. Almost immediately, Zano broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Oh that's rich. Having a Fire Nation soldier put on a play for a town!" Zano laughed, having to pause in between his speech to rest his vocal cords.

"It's not that funny," Kazuya muttered.

"Sure it is!" Zano exclaimed, still laughing. Kazuya waited patiently for Zano's laughter to subside. During this time, Kazuya thought about yelling at Zano or punching him due the annoyance he was suddenly causing. Though in the end, Kazuya voted against these: he did not want to cause attention to himself. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Zano ceased his laughter.

"You finally done?" Kazuya confirmed.

"I think so."

"Good, because I don't want you laughing tonight when we go to the Yuu house," Kazuya informed his friend in a matter-of-fact manner.

"What!?" Zano exclaimed, "I'm not partaking in this!"

"Well it's too late because I already volunteered you," Kazuya snickered.

"Ugh!" was the only sound that would come out of Zano's mouth. Now it was Kazuya's turn to laugh as he walked away from Zano to a different post, leaving Zano in his frustrated manner.

**OoOoOoOo**

"What a dinky place," were Zano's first words as they approached the Yuu house even though he had already seen the Yuu House.

"Quiet," Kazuya responded.

"Yeah yeah, you don't want to upset your girlfriend," Zano said as he walked forward. Kazuya didn't respond to Zano's ridiculous comment and walked forward.

Once the two approached the abandoned house, both noticed two figures awaiting their arrival. Kazuya easily recognized the smaller figure as Chikayume though as for the second one, he hadn't a clue as to who it could be. Upon entering a lighted area due to the moon, he could clearly see another young man about the same age as himself standing next to Chikayume.

"You're here," Chikayume said with a smile, most likely half expecting Kazuya to not show.

"And I've brought a friend. This is Zano. He's a little slow so we may have to give him a very simple part."

"What the hell Kazuya! First you volunteer me and now you're insulting me!" Zano exclaimed.

"I should add that he's also very loud so if our cover is blown, it will most likely be his fault. Then again, his loud behavior may be perfect for that part of the village idiot."

"That's it, I'm leaving," Zano said as he was about to storm off. However, Kazuya grabbed him by the collar, forcing him to stay put.

"This is my friend, Zito," Chikayume said, gesturing to the boy standing next to her. She then turned to Zito, "This is Kazuya."

"I didn't think a Fire Nation soldier would be interested in theater," Zito said as he shook Kazuya's hand, "that's an admirable field of interest."

"Uhh...thanks," Kazuya replied.

"Zito was helping me pick a play today," Chikayume said.

"I thought we were going to write our own," Kazuya responded.

"You won't need to. I went through Chikayume's collection and I've found the perfect solution," Zito answered for her, "We may not even need any other actors."

"Well, looks like I don't need to be here," Zano said as he was about to walk away again.

"Hold on, Zano. Let's hear the plan in its entirety," Kazuya ordered.

"We should probably go inside first," Chikayume suggested as she looked around for any signs of Fire Nation soldiers. In agreement, the three followed Chikayume's suggestion and proceeded into the house.

"Now since we only have one actor, I think the best approach is to turn one of these plays into a one man show," Zito began as he sat behind a pile of books. As he did this, Chikayume lit a candle. "Out of all the plays I went through, I think this is our best option." Zito then picked up large book followed by a rather thin one. "I have with me the original story and the play adaptation of The Ingenious Taimu."

"Who's Taimu?" Zano asked.

"The Ingenious Taimu is about a man who believes he is the lost Avatar. While everyone deems him as insane, Taimu continues to pursue the impossible dream of being the Avatar. Now, within the novel, there are only two other main characters. I could either rewrite the play to fit the novel or Kazuya could perform a dramatic reading."

"Who are the two other characters?" Kazuya asked.

"Taimu's right hand man who allows Taimu to continue his dream and Taimu's love interest."

"I have a feeling Zano would be perfect for Taimu's right hand man....but we won't be able to get someone to play Taimu's love interest since Chikayume wants to see the play...."

"I can rewrite it so only you and Zano are on stage," Zito said.

"Then that's probably our best bet," Kazuya said.

"I think you are guys are forgetting one problem," Zano said, "How are we even going to perform this if the villagers will recognize us?"

"Oh that's easy. We're going to perform this in front of the nobles at one of their parties. We can disguise you two to look like Earth Kingdom villagers. Since they never leave to wander the village, no one will recognize you. If we do a good job on it, we can do the same for the villagers," Zito explained.

"Sounds simple enough," Kazuya remarked.

"Now, we just need someone who can create the props preferably out of wood. We could always purchase them but that may look suspicious."

"I'll make them," Zano volunteered. Kazuya became shocked by Zano's participation and a little suspicious however he decided to wait until after they had left to confront Zano.

"All right. So Zano will be in charge of props and an actor, Zito will be the writer, I'll be lead actor, and Chikayume will be director."

"Me?"

"Well...yeah it was your idea to put this together so it's only natural for you to be director."

"Umm...ok," was all she could say.

"We better end for tonight. It's getting late," Zito remarked as he rose from his seat. The rest followed, making sure to gather the books, put out the fire, and other tasks that would cover their tracks.

"Are you sure you don't want help re-writing the play? It's going to be a lot of work," Kazuya offered as they continued to clean up.

"That's all right, I'm used to it," Zito replied. "...I hope to be a philosopher, I'm used to writing down plenty of ideas at a time," he added after noticing Kazuya's confusion. Kazuya simply nodded in acknowledgment, not fully knowing what to say.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"Hey Zano," Kazuya said after they had arrived back at their sleeping quarters.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you volunteer to create props?" he asked bluntly. Zano paused for a moment, wondering how to phrase his answer.

"My dad is a craftsman. Occasionally he makes toys for the kids that come into our shop that my mom runs. He's taught me a few things. It'd be good practice since I hope to run the shop some day."

"I never would have expected such a background from you," Kazuya teased.

"And I never would have expected to become friends with an actor," Zano teased back. As Kazuya continued to get ready for bed, he couldn't help but realize how appropriate Zito's choice for a play truly was.


	5. PreProduction

_Wow, sorry people. I completely forgot to update this story.....so I'll update with two chapters =D. _

**

* * *

Pre-Production**

So, for the next few weeks, Chikayume began sneaking into the town more often in order to discuss the preparation for the play. It was decided early on that Zito would not attend the night meetings as he was busy rewriting the screenplay. Since there was no other way of contacting Zito, Chikayume was sure to find a way to deliver important questions to Kazuya.

"You know, you are the director. You don't need to ask me all these questions," Kazuya told her one day.

"But you're the one who's going to act in it, you should have some say, right?"

"Not really. The director is control for the most part. Just go with your instinct."

"Umm...okay."

"Be assertive." She nodded in response. "I don't know...that looks way too passive if you ask me."

"Uhhh...." she faltered, not knowing what to say.

"Look, no offense, but you're on the small side. People are going to walk all over you if they can," Kazuya began, his voice just beginning to rise with enthusiasm.

"That isn't very nice of them," Chikayume interjected.

"Damn straight it isn't!" Kazuya exclaimed, the pipe in his mouth nearly falling out and onto the ground. "You can't just sit by and let people do that to you. Like when you were on the line and people shoved in front of you. You need to stick up for yourself!"

"Okay!" she exclaimed, her voice still sounding unsure.

"Try it."

"Huh?"

"Move it shortie!" Kazuya suddenly exclaimed, catching Chikayume off-guard.

"...Why are you being so mean to me all of a sudden?" Chikayume asked rather sadly.

"I'm not really being mean, I'm pretending to be a stranger," Kazuya responded, his voice returning to its normal monotone sound. "Now pretend I'm a stranger."

"But I know who you are."

"We're just pretending."

"Umm....okay...."

"Move it shrimp!" Kazuya shouted once again, nearly reaching the top of his lungs.

"That's jumbo shrimp to you!" Chikayume shouted in a high pitch voice. The two stopped and stared at one another for a moment. Chikayume was surprised at the volume of her voice while Kazuya was simply surprised at what her response had been.

"Uhh...yeah I guess that's good enough," Kazuya finally said, "Anyway, so since you're the director, you make the decisions. When the screenplay is rewritten, then I will start doing my part."

"Okay," Chikayume replied.

"Oh, and another thing..." Kazuya said, "you're name is kind of long...do you mind if I give you a nickname...." There was clear tension in his voice as he asked this somewhat meaningless question.

" 'Chika' means 'a thousand summers' and 'Yume' means 'dream'," Chikayume replied, "Zito normally just calls me 'Yume'."

"Alright then, sounds fair enough," Kazuya replied.

"Ms. Ami! Ms. Ami!" a voice could be heard in the distance.

"Oh no, that must be Mr. Shu....I have to go," Yume said quickly. Before Kazuya had time to say goodbye, Yume was gone as though she had never been there in the first place.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Over the next few weeks, the nightly meetings became suspended as everyone was hard at work. During the day, Yume (as Kazuya now referred to her) would visit the village, informing Kazuya of Zito's progress with the play. Meanwhile, in his spare time, Zano was busy creating the props necessary for the performance. Kazuya continued to give pointers to Yume when it came to directing; however other than that, there was little for him to do. While everyone else was hard at work, Kazuya spent his days reading aloud other works he had brought with him. It was the only way he could practice.

Kazuya smoked his pipe as he scanned the villagers, hoping to find Yume. It was not unusual for her to miss a day or two due to Shu constantly following her. Quite frankly, Kazuya found it both pathetic and somewhat creepy.

"You know, it's very bad for you to smoke," Yume said as she stood beside him. Kazuya suddenly looked over to where her voice was coming from.

"Hey, where did you come from....I guess you're so short I didn't see you come over," he remarked.

"Don't change the subject!" Yume hissed. Kazuya simply laughed.

"Fine then, I'll smoke all I want," he replied, a smirk still present. Yume simply sighed as she surrendered before the battle had even begun. For a moment, the two remained silent.

"Kazuya...." Yume's voice trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"The Fire Nation. What's it like?"

Kazuya hesitated for a moment. He had been here, in this village, for what seemed like an eternity. For a moment, he couldn't remember what his own village was like. Gradually, his memories began to take form and he could once again picture his house, his parents, his village, everything.

"When you're in the Fire Nation, it feels as though it's always summer. I don't think there's ever been a day when I felt cold. My village was larger than this yet smaller than a city. Each building had a red rooftop as people always rushed by. And in the center of town...there was an outdoor stage. It was a fairly small stage...compared to one on Ember Island...but...it was sufficient enough."

"What's Ember Island?" Yume asked.

"Ember Island is one of the many islands in the Fire Nation. It's completely devoted to the arts. I've only been there once before...when I was young...so I don't remember much. I remember in the center of the island, there was an indoor theater and just a little ways off, there was an art gallery. The beaches were quiet and tranquil. My mother said this was because many Fire Nation authors, artists, and actors came to Ember Island for inspiration in hopes that some day their work or talent would become worthy enough to be shown there. This is why the center of the island was busy while the outskirts were peaceful."

"It sounds lovely."

"Yeah..." Kazuya said, not looking at her, "but I don't know if it's changed or not. Who knows what the place is like now."

"I'm sure it's just the way you remember it."

"You're probably right. As far as I know, no one really appreciates this form of entertainment in the Fire Nation. At least...my father doesn't."

"Is that the reason why you haven't been to Ember Island for a long time?"

"...Yeah....When I went to see 'Oma and Shu' on Ember Island...there was this indescribable feeling....as though I knew right away that's what I wanted to do in life....but...I guess my dad thought otherwise. Almost like he felt taking me there was a mistake...." Kazuya paused, allowing smoke to exit his nostrils. "I've been trying to get back to Ember Island ever since. Only this time I plan on staying there."

"I don't think it was a mistake that you went to Ember Island," Yume said. She then took something out from under her arm that she had been holding the entire time. Kazuya looked curiously at it, not noticing it until now. "Here. It's finished." Yume handed him what looked to be a journal or book. "Now you can prove how useful your skill is."

Kazuya took the book carefully. He placed his hand on the cover, his fingers tracing the title Zito had carved into the book: "The Legend of Taimu: a New Interpretation of _The Ingenious Taimu" _. Kazuya could think of nothing to say at first, the book before him mesmerized him. His gaze softened as he laughed slightly.

"Useful? I'd barely call this being 'useful'," Kazuya said.

"You have one of the most useful skills there are."

"Yeah, what's that?" Kazuya practically sneered.

"You're able to make people who you have never met before happy in the hardest of times just by performing one show. That's useful enough....especially when we're in a war. When you were on Ember Island, did you ever once think about the war?" Kazuya didn't answer. He merely looked back at Yume partially with shock and gratitude. Realizing Kazuya was not going to respond to her last statement, Yume walked away, giving a smile as she left. As Yume walked away, Kazuya began to read.

It was the most beautiful work of literature Kazuya had ever read. He could hardly believe Zito was able to write such an eloquent piece of literature. For a while, Kazuya was unsure if he would be able to act as Taimu let alone if he was worthy enough to play such a character. As he read Taimu's story, everyone's dreams began to float into his head. His own dream of becoming an actor on Ember Island, Zano's dream of running the shop his parents owned, Zito's dream of becoming a philosopher, and Chikayume's dream of bringing happiness to the village suddenly became an important aspect to the story. Each of these dreams was so far away and yet each of them was still chasing after it. They were all after what seemed like an impossible dream. It was then Kazuya realized he could no longer put on such a performance for himself. He had to do this for everyone.

By the time he had finished reading, it was late at night. After pondering for a few moments, Kazuya decided to rise out of his bunk. He fumbled through his belongings, trying his best not to disturb anyone especially the snoring Zano. Finally, he found what he was looking for: a piece of parchment and a writing utensil. Quietly, Kazuya returned to his bunk. Using his left hand to provide a light through firebending, Kazuya began to write letter which began with the simple phrase "Dear Mom and Dad".


	6. The Curtains Are Pulled

**The Curtains are Pulled**

Once the play had been completed, the group's nightly meetings resumed since there was hardly any time to meet during the day. The nightly meetings consisted of various activities. At times, Zano would teach everyone how they could help create the necessary props for the show. Other times, Zano and Kazuya went through their lines as Chikayume blocked the scenes. Once the blocking was complete, Chikayume and Zito became members of the audience as Zano and Kazuya ran through the various scenes. Occasionally, something within the play needed to be altered in which case Zito would revise the particular scene.

"The Ami family is hosting a party in just a few days. I think we'll be ready by then, don't you?" Zito asked the group one night.

"Hmm...that may be cutting it a bit close....do you know when the next party will be held?" Kazuya said.

"Not for a few months or so."

"A few months is too much time," Kazuya responded.

"Me and Kazuya can be ready in a few days," Zano said enthusiastically.

"My only concern was you Zano," Kazuya responded.

"I think Zano will be ready in time," Chikayume remarked.

"See, even your gir—"

But Zano never got the chance to finish his statement. Kazuya immediately hit Zano in order to make his friend quiet.

"Hey!"

"You were asking for it." And with that, that particular conversation came to a halt.

"I can bring some Earth Kingdom clothes for you two tomorrow. Remember, they can't know you're from the Fire Nation," Zito said.

"Thanks...but we still have one problem," Kazuya said.

"What's that?" Zito asked.

"That Shu guy....he'll recognize us."

"Oh you're right! He's seen us occasionally talking," Chikayume stated.

"He has?" Zito said, surprised. He then placed a hand on his forehead. "This is not good. Not only is he seeing you two talking but he's going to recognize Kazuya and Zano....that will blow our cover....I'll have to come up with a way to distract him from the play. But in the future, you two have to be more careful with talking to one another. You're lucky Shu hasn't said anything to your father Chikayume."

"Right...." Chikayume said.

"He's like a fly, he never goes away," Zano commented.

"Agreed," Kazuya intervened. For a moment, everyone agreed in silence. They fully knew the consequences of their actions. Each of them could easily be caught and charged with treason even though they committed no crime.

"All right, let's get started! We only have a few days left!" Zano exclaimed, breaking the silence. With those words, the four friends continued their mission.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Zano and Kazuya quietly walked towards the Yuu House with their Earth Kingdom clothes in a bag. Normally, they would be chatting about useless topics that never seemed to go anywhere. This time, not a word was spoken as if doing so was taboo. It was not because the two were nervous; it was because this appeared to be one of the most dangerous things they had ever done since the start of the project.

However, these feelings of treachery soon vanished for Kazuya as he saw Chikayume waiting for them in front of the abandoned house. Suddenly, he was no longer a Fire Nation soldier about to be disguised as an Earth Kingdom civilian, preparing to enter the house of an Earth Kingdom noble. He was simply an actor, doing his job. Did it honestly matter which nation he came from as long as he was still entertaining people, hoping that his performance would cause his audience to re-think their lives through the story he told?

Chikayume smiled as the two arrived. She continued to wait outside as the two changed into their Earth Kingdom clothes. After wearing their uniforms all day long, it was a nice change to be wearing common clothing even if it was only for a little while. Zano took this time to prepare the bag of props they would need. Once the two were finished, they walked back to the main entrance of the Yuu House. Not to Kazuya's surprise, Chikayume smiled upon their arrival.

"You look nice. You should consider wearing Earth Kingdom clothes more often," she said.

"We'll keep that in mind the next time we go shopping for clothes," Zano commented.

"Well, we should get going. Are you ready?" she asked though the question was clearly directed more towards Kazuya than Zano. Kazuya simply nodded in acknowledgement. After all, he hadn't performed anything for the longest time. No matter how professional an actor was, it was always difficult to get back into the swing of things. Most professionals took acting classes every once in a while in order to keep themselves fresh. Unfortunately for Kazuya, this was not possible; he could only rely on his friends' opinions.

The walk to the Ami household consisted of mostly silence. Kazuya was pre-occupied with his thoughts. Zano continued to run through the lines in his head. Chikayume did not want to break their concentration so she chose to remain silent. Or perhaps she too was nervous since they would be attempting to sneak two Fire Nation soldiers into her own house. If they were caught, she was sure that would go just splendid with her parents: at least that is what she wished would happen. In all likelihood, she would most likely be disowned by her own family.

There were many words that could easily be used to describe the Ami House: extravagant, majestic, spacious, etc. Simply seeing the house only made the trio all the more nervous.

"Holy Agni, this place is huge!" Zano exclaimed as soon as he laid eyes on it.

"I just hope you don't get lost," Kazuya stated, hoping a little humor would ease his mind. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful. His mind did come to ease upon seeing Zito waiting by the front entrance for them.

"I didn't even recognize you," Zito said, smiling slightly, as the three approached the entrance. "I sent Shuu on an errand so he won't be any problem."

"What sort of errand?" Zano asked.

"I told him I think I accidently placed my journal on a shelf instead of the book I was reading," Zito explained as he raised a small book.

"Zito, that's cruel! Mister Shuu will be in the library for hours before he gives up-_if _he gives up," Chikayume said.

"I'm going to stop him when we're done," Zito complained, "Now, come on; we've got to get ready. I already told your father we were planning something."

Before any of them had a chance to respond to his last comment, Zito slipped back into the Ami House. Without saying a word, the trio proceeded to follow him.

Kazuya and Zano gaped at the number of people present. It was hard to imagine so many wealthy families resided in the small Earth Kingdom village known as Kitai. They assumed at least a handful of the guests came from nearby villages.

Although no one knew who these two strangers were, it seemed as though everyone knew they were commoners. No matter how nice their clothes looked, they still had a certain "air" about them that screamed their origin. They clearly were not welcomed in such a household, causing a sense of awkwardness and an unsettling feeling in their stomachs. Eyes constantly followed them due to this, simply out of curiosity. Why would commoners be invited to such a gathering? However, this only increased Kazuya and Zano's fears of being recognized as Fire Nation. Didn't these people see the amber burning in their eyes? Apparently not. Still, even though it appeared as though no one recognized them, the tension did not disperse.

It wasn't until Kazuya saw the small stage set up that he began to relax. Zito had managed to get ahead of the group and was already preparing the stage. Chikayume, Zano, and Kazuya quickly began to help. A few people stopped for a moment, wondering what the four were doing only to walk away shortly after not being able to figure out the four's motive. The other guests simply did not pay attention: they were too busy chatting about with other guests or partaking in their meal.

"Everyone, may I have your attention please," Chikayume finally stated once the set up was complete. Her voice trembled slightly due to nerves as everyone politely turned their attention to the petite girl. "We ...have been working very hard on a play...that we would like you all to watch...so if you could please take a seat as close to the stage as possible...we would greatly appreciate it," she said and quickly bowed afterwards. She then took her seat next to Zito once she realized people were beginning to sit down.

"Are you ready?" Zano asked Kazuya before they were about to begin. Kazuya thought for a moment, not entirely sure if he _was _ready. Yet, for some reason, he could not help but to feel comfortable on the stage. It no longer mattered if the people watching had been giving him a death stare a moment before.

"Yeah," he answered back.

During a serious play, the best audience is a silent audience. A silent audience tells the actors, director, and playwright that the audience is paying close attention to every word spoken, every action taken. If an audience is not silent, then they are simply not paying attention or perhaps they do not understand the meaning of the play. For _The Legend of Taimu: a New Interpretation of The Ingenious Taimu_, a fly could be heard buzzing in every corner of the immense hall. Not a word was spoken other than the actors who were currently on stage. Everyone in the audience was feeling exactly what Kazuya had felt when he first read Zito's manuscript. Of course, the actors could be said to have provided a much more captivating experience for the audience.

Kazuya's performance was not only moving but contained passion from the first line he spoke to the last.

"Taimu.....listen...don't you remember, you're the Avatar," Ze begged as the sane Taimu laid on his deathbed.

"Don't be ridiculous," Taimu replied, his voice gradually fading, "the Avatar's been missing far too long. Besides, he's an Airbender and I am from the Fire Nation."

"Nonsense! You're the only one who can bring peace to the world. No one else can do it, no one," Ze replied though he knew his words were failing. "Who else could have fought the evil bloodthirsty Uzalu dragon?" Through his aged face, Ze could see Taimu was slightly interested. "Or prevented the Fire Nation from consuming the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes?" Taimu began to rise from his bed, a new rush of energy filling his body. "Who's the only one who could possibly save the world from absolute destruction?"

"Me, Avatar Taimu!" Taimu exclaimed, now completely raised to his feet.

"That's right!" Ze exclaimed, full of joy that his friend had regained his insanity.

"And now, who requires the Avatar's assistance?" Taimu inquired.

"No one at the moment Avatar Taimu."

"And to think, I had almost...." Taimu's voice trailed off as he began to walk slowly towards some destination unknown to Ze. He reached his hand out, as if attempting to grab something that was unreachable. Unable to retain his strength, he collapsed. Ze quickly caught him, slowly bringing him down to the ground. Slowly, Avatar Taimu closed his eyes, never to awake.

Once it was clear the performance was over, the audience began to cheer. There were occasional tears though they were quickly repressed. Kazuya arose from the ground he was laying on so that Zano may get up from his own position. He then proceeded to place his usual pipe in his mouth though he wisely chose not to light it in the household while Zano placed the few props in the bag. While the two lifted themselves up and straightened out (in case a quick getaway was necessary), a few nobles stood up with them. Little by little, the other nobles joined in, giving the two a standing ovation. Kazuya and Zano bowed politely and then gestured towards Zito and Chikayume. Having been to many plays, the noblemen applauded for them as well.

"That was a fine show boys, a fine show indeed," Chikayume's father said after the crowd had dispersed to the usual activities of a gathering. A few lingered, attempting to give their opinions as well. "It's rather remarkable that the people in our village are so talented."

"So you see, father, that's why I was always going to the village," Chikayume managed to squeeze in, in hopes that she would no longer be scrutinized for her unusual behavior.

"Yes, it was rather hard to believe that two simple Earth Kingdom residents could possess such talent at such a young age," her father stated. He then looked towards Kazuya. "You should really think about going professional. There are plenty of theaters not far from here."

"Thank you, sir," Kazuya managed to say. Chikayume's father nodded and then moved on to entertain the rest of his guests.

"We can eat now, right? I'm starving," Zano said. "Acting really works up an appetite."

"I guess we can," Kazuya said, "Though, we can't stay long...remember."

"Yeah, yeah of course, don't worry about it," Zano said. As he was about to head towards the food, Zito tugged at him, dragging Zano away.

"There's an artist over there who wants to do a portrait of us," Zito said.

"This late?" Chikayume questioned.

"Yeah, I didn't believe it at first either but he already has his supplies out," Zito replied.

With that, the four friends found themselves standing for at least an hour as the artist painted their portrait. Of course, it was not the highest quality of work considering the artist still wished to enjoy the remainder of the evening. But for Zano and Kazuya, it was a unique experience. They had only been able to afford one maybe two family portraits throughout their entire life. When the picture was finally complete, the two were amazed by how accurate it was. The artist absentmindedly handed the picture to Chikayume before departing to another part of the hall.

"Wow, he did a nice job," Kazuya said.

"You can keep it," Chikayume said as she handed him the scroll.

"Really?"

"Zito and I have plenty of opportunities for portraits."

"Zano, do you want it?" Kazuya offered.

"Nah, I'll probably lose it anyway. You keep it."

"You two have to go. Now." Zito said suddenly.

"Huh, why?" Zano asked.

"I just saw Shuu," Zito said as he began to walk away, "I'll distract him while you go."

"But we didn't even get to eat," Zano said. Kazuya grabbed Zano before he could protest any longer.

"We'll see you later," Kazuya said before he completely left Zito.

"Yeah."

Kazuya made his way towards what he thought was the exit.

"You're going the wrong way," Chikayume said. "Follow me."

The three managed to reach the front gate without any trouble. Zano and Kazuya were about to walk towards the Yuu House when they noticed Chikayume following behind them.

"Aren't you going to stay?" Kazuya asked.

"I thought I'd walk with you two. Besides, if a Fire Nation soldier recognizes you, you can tell them you were escorting me home."

"Makes sense to me," Zano said.

Once again, the trip back to the Yuu House was a silent one. Not because they weren't excited. They were simply exhausted and also did not want anyone to hear them talking. At this late at night, the Fire Nation soldiers could get fairly cranky.

"So, how was your first play?" Kazuya asked Chikayume as Zano went ahead inside the Yuu House to change.

"It was lovely," Chikayume said.

"That's good," Kazuya replied.

"Did you enjoy performing?"

"I actually did enjoy it."

"I'm glad."

The two didn't say anything for a moment.

"Kazuya..." Chikayume said, her voice trailing off.

"Yeah?"

"I'm...I'm glad you came to this village." The words shocked him for a moment, causing him to go back and think. Was _he_ glad he came to the village? He remembered dreading the village when he first arrived. The disgust he felt. And yet, he no longer had those feelings. Yet, he did not have neutral feelings for the village either. He enjoyed meeting Zano in the army despite how annoying he could be at times. Zito was another friend he had enjoyed making, a less annoying friend and a rather intelligent one at that. Then there was Chikayume, standing before him. If it hadn't been for her, he would have lost all hope for ever becoming a professional actor. All hope could have easily been lost had he been located to a different village.

"Yeah, me too," Kazuya finally said. Chikayume smiled at this.

Kazuya wasn't sure what he was thinking. Or even if he was thinking at all. He did know that he was feeling, feeling what he did not know. But his feelings told him to bend down to the petite girl standing in front of him and kiss her. When he first came into a full realization of what he was doing, he had no clue what to do. It wasn't until he realized that Chikayume wasn't protesting that he came to the conclusion he had done the right thing if this decision had a right or wrong answer in the end.

When Kazuya let go, the next thing he saw startled him slightly. Chikayume's face was red but her eyes were full of fear. That was when he realized his eyes must have also shown the same emotion: fear. Their feelings were real, that was for certain. But, according to society, they were enemies. They stared at each other for a while.

"Hey, you going to change sometime today Kazuya?" Zano asked as he stepped out of the Yuu House with his Fire Nation uniform back on.

"Yeah," Kazuya said, absentminded. Trying to remain calm, he walked into the Yuu House and changed as quickly as possible. When he came back out, to his surprise, Chikayume was still there. Then he realized he had to give back the clothes he borrowed to her and that was why she had waited. Without a word, he handed her Zito's clothes, adding to her collection of things to bring back.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Chikayume said as Zano and Kazuya were leaving to go to their beds. Kazuya looked back at her. She was smiling, as if nothing had happened.

"Okay," Kazuya said and with that the two left Chikayume to walk home by herself.

Kazuya couldn't sleep that night. He needed to find something to distract him. So many thoughts flowed through his head all at once. He then looked at the scroll he had been given. Quietly, he pulled out his writing supplies and began to write to his parents. He wanted to tell them all his experiences thus far and to show them the picture that proved it. The picture was the only way to tell them that he was staying where he was, but not because that's what they wanted.


	7. End of the Summer

**End of the Summer**

Kazuya woke up at his usual time as he had always done. It felt as though the performance had been just yesterday though the truth was it had been about a week since that time. Although it felt as if he had performed just yesterday, the empty space inside of him was already beginning to fill. How he longed to relive that moment being on the small stage, if it was only just for a moment.

With a sigh, Kazuya forced himself out of bed. Quite surprisingly, Zano was already gone. For a moment, Kazuya thought he might have overslept. Quickly, Kazuya began to put his uniform on. It was then that he realized he couldn't have overslept as he now heard people moving about on the other side of the wall. So where was Zano?

For the first time, Kazuya found himself eating breakfast alone. He thought he would have enjoyed the peace and quiet for once; however he couldn't help but miss Zano's big mouth even though he tuned out most of what Zano said. Kazuya looked around the room to see if Zano might be on his way towards their usual table. But he wasn't in sight. Instead, he was forced to sit awkwardly alone while eating his breakfast.

"_This is ridiculous, I feel like I'm in school again_," Kazuya thought bitterly as he could feel the tension in the room, fellow soldiers' eyes resting upon him. But he couldn't help but wish Zano would show up and fast.

When he did finish his meal, Kazuya went out to the village to do his usual "patrolling" which usually consisted of talking with Zano and occasionally Chikayume if she was successful in sneaking out of her home. However, he had no idea where Zano was and he hadn't seen Chikayume since the night of the performance despite the fact she told him they would see each other the next day. Perhaps she was just being polite when she said that and in reality she never planned on coming back to marketplace....

"_She's probably having trouble sneaking out of her house," _Kazuya reassured himself as he stared straight ahead of him with his usual pipe hanging from his mouth as he leaned against a wall. Still, he couldn't help but feel perhaps he scared Chikayume off and completely destroyed his friendship with her. And the other feelings he possessed.

As if to save him from his depressing thoughts, Kazuya could see Zano walking towards him. Relief began to quickly fill Kazuya's body as his friend came closer.

"Where the hell have you been?" Kazuya asked.

"I woke up early," Zano stated simply, "I was patrolling."

"_Patrolling?_"

"Yes, _patrolling_. You know, our _jobs._"

There was something different about Zano. It almost appeared as though he actually cared about his occupation. But that couldn't be it. Since when did Zano give a shit about the Fire Nation Army? That was why he was sent here in the first place.

"Why?" Kazuya finally stated. Instead of pointing out Zano's personality changes, he figured he just go ahead and hope Zano would give him the answer.

"I've been thinking lately..." Zano began.

"Well, that's a bad sign," Kazuya remarked.

"If I start to actually work, I could get a transfer out of here. If I'm transferred to a better location, I'll be granted permission to visit my village," Zano replied, completely ignoring Kazuya's last remark.

"So you're saying you want to become a soldier that is granted leave of absence because you'll be fighting in the more dangerous areas."

"Yes."

"Are you stupid?" Kazuya remarked, completely frustrated at his friend's idiotic plan. "If you do that, you'll be killed and then there won't be any point of you visiting your village. You'll only worry your parents."

"It's better than never being able to go at all."

"That's ridiculous; of course you'll be given permission to visit if you stay here."

"Yeah, but not for a while. Five years if we're lucky."

"Or never considering we're the worst of the worst."

"Look, you want to go and risk your life like that then go ahead!" Kazuya snapped as he pushed off the wall. Without a word, Zano marched off to continue his patrolling. Kazuya leaned back against the wall, smoke puffing from his pipe. "_You're such an idiot! You're just throwing your life away for a system that doesn't care about you. You idiot! You idiot! You idiot!" _But simply thinking these thoughts would do nothing. It would only serve to blow off steam from the anger Kazuya was currently feeling.

Finally, Kazuya let out a sigh and began to calm himself. For a while, he continued to do absolutely nothing: simply standing in his position, wishing there was someone to talk to. However, he knew no one would talk to a Fire Nation soldier.

"Kazuya!"

Kazuya looked up upon hearing his name. To his surprise, Chikayume was now standing in front of him with a basket in her hands. She gave her usual smile and waved.

"I haven't been able to leave the house until today," Chikayume said quickly. "So I thought I'd bring you lunch as an apology." Kazuya didn't say anything in response. It was already time for lunch? The time had seemed to go by fast yet slow at the same time but he still found it hard to believe that it was already time to eat. Although he was partially glad the day was nearly over, he still wished it was not yet time to eat because that meant his friend had not come back to talk with him all morning. "What's wrong?" Chikayume asked, sensing Kazuya's sadness.

"Nothing..." Kazuya said, not wanting to go into detail about the whole scenario. "Thanks for bringing me lunch...but you didn't have to do that."

"Well, I did anyway," Chikayume responded. "Well, where do you want to eat it? I mean, you can't eat it where you normally eat because other Fire Nation soldiers will see it, right?"

"Yeah," Kazuya said even though he hadn't really thought about that. "...We should go slightly out of the village so no one sees us."

Following Kazuya's suggestion, Chikayume led him just slightly out of the village. Kazuya recognized the area so he assumed it must have been near where the Yuu house was. She managed to find a spot under a tree, away from the sun. After they seated themselves, Chikayume took out two parcels from the basket and handed one to Kazuya while she took the other for herself.

"You packed your own lunch?" Kazuya asked.

"Umm...yes...I thought I could eat lunch with you....if that's okay," Chikayume said, her face turning pink.

"It's fine," Kazuya said, not really paying attention to Chikayume's nervousness. He was longing to have anyone spend time with him today.

Since Chikayume was too nervous to start the conversation and Kazuya was down in the dumps due to Zano, the two barely spoke. Kazuya simply stared off into space as he moved his food around with his chopsticks. It appeared as though even Chikayume couldn't brighten his day.

"You aren't eating," Chikayume said. Kazuya didn't realize that she had starting at him for a while now.

"Huh?" Kazuya responded, not fully paying attention.

"Is it because it doesn't taste good?" Chikayume asked. "I'm sorry, this was my first time cooking and I didn't really know what I was doing," she added nervously.

"What?" Kazuya asked, not quite getting what she was saying. "Oh, no it's fine."

"Then what's the matter?" Kazuya refused to answer. "Hey...where's Zano? I made a lunch for him too," Chikayume said after a long pause.

"He's patrolling," Kazuya managed to answer, anger clearly in his voice.

"Oh....but I thought you two never did your job."

"Well he does now so he can go off and get himself killed."

"I don't think Zano would do something just to get himself hurt," Chikayume said gently.

"You're right, but he mine as well," Kazuya replied. "He wants to visit his village and to do that he needs to be in a dangerous area. Of all the stupid things to do."

"I don't think that's stupid." Kazuya paused for a moment to look at Chikayume. "In fact, it's very brave. He's willing to risk his life just to see his family again."

"He has plenty of people here who care about him," Kazuya muttered. He knew Chikayume was right, he had known since his first confrontation with Zano about it this morning. But he just couldn't, _wouldn't_, face the truth.

"I'm sure he knows that and if he doesn't, then you're right, he _is_ being stupid. But...just because he wants to see his family again doesn't mean he's going to forget about you." Kazuya remained silent. He simply didn't know what to say. He was saddened yet at the same time, he knew he had to respect his friend's wishes. Not to mention, Chikayume was right: he knew Zano would never forget him and it was impossible to forget Zano.

While in his thought process, he felt Chikayume arms tighten around him. He froze in place, unsure of what to do. Finally, he slowly placed his own arms around Chikayume. The tension in his body eased as he began to feel the comfort Chikayume was attempting to give. Not long after he placed his arms around her did Chikayume take her arms away and sat up as though nothing had happened. She then reached into her basket and pulled out another parcel.

"Will you give this to Zano when you see him?" she asked.

"I will," Kazuya said as he took the parcel away from her.

"Kazuya...." Chikayume began and Kazuya knew immediately she wanted to ask something she felt was possibly too personal.

"Yes?"

"How come...you don't want to leave to see your family?" she finally managed to say.

"Well...uh..." Kazuya began, fumbling his words. It wasn't that the question was hard; he knew the answer right away. Yet, it felt awkward to say this answer aloud. He began to laugh nervously as he attempted to answer the question.

"Do you want to try a pastry I made?" Chikayume said, changing the subject as she noticed Kazuya didn't want to answer. She showed him the small pastry and handed it to him. It looked good to eat so Kazuya took a bite without the slightest thought. As soon as the pastry entered his mouth, some obscene taste sprang through his taste buds. It was probably the worst thing he had ever tasted in his life. No words could accurately describe its taste. Kazuya attempted not to change the expression on his face, not wanting to hurt Chikayume's feelings. He forced the pastry down his throat.

"It's .....good...." Kazuya managed to say.

"Do you want another one," Chikayume said, smiling. As if to save him, Kazuya saw Zito approaching the two.

"I didn't think you'd be out here Zito," Kazuya quickly said. Chikayume turned to see Zito coming towards them.

"Zito, what are you doing here?" Chikayume asked.

"I came looking for you," Zito explained. "The servants are looking for you. I had a feeling you'd be in the village so I offered to go look for you."

"Oh...I was just having lunch...." Chikayume said.

"Hey, don't tell me, tell the people who are wondering where you are," Zito joked. "Kazuya, don't you have work to do?"

"I'm on a lunch break," Kazuya said, smiling slightly.

"Is this an all morning lunch break?"

"Pretty much."

Chikayume rose from her seat and pulled out yet another parcel from her basket.

"Here Zito, you can eat this on the way back," Chikayume said, handing Zito his own lunch, complete with the deadly pastry.

"Thanks," he said though he clearly eyed the pastry and Kazuya could tell Zito had already had the pleasure of tasting one. "Well, I'll be seeing you Kazuya."

"Bye Kazuya," Chikayume said. Kazuya simply waved goodbye as the two began to walk back towards their estates. Without a word, Kazuya arose from his seat and began to walk back towards the village.

Once he reached the village, Kazuya immediately began to look for Zano. The first place he looked was the marketplace and sure enough, there he was. Awkwardly, Kazuya walked up to his friend who looked neither angry nor happy. For a moment, the two didn't say anything.

"Where were you?" Zano finally asked quietly.

"I was having lunch with Chikayume....." Kazuya replied, "She made this for you." He handed Zano the parcel. "Don't eat the pastry though." Curious, Zano picked up the pastry first and took a small bite. He cringed for a moment.

"Well...it's not..._that _bad," Zano managed to say.

"I told you," Kazuya laughed. He then stopped shortly after. "Listen...Zano...if you want to get out of here....I don't mind...and ...you're not stupid for wanting to leave." Zano didn't respond at first, contemplating Kazuya's statement. "And just to prove it to you, if there's anything I can do to help, I will."

"I appreciate it," was all Zano said on the matter. "Now...let's go so I can eat my lunch. I'm starving!"

It did not take long for Zano to get the transfer he needed. By the time the summer had ended, he was already on his way towards the leave of absence he desired. Because Zano was always doing his actual job, Kazuya was able to spend more time with Chikayume and Zito. With that, summer had come to an end leaving everyone with a small piece of their dreams fulfilled.


	8. New Life

**New Life**

With Zano gone, the days went by faster than Kazuya could have imagined. It was as if time was fast forwarding and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Yet at the same time, it felt as though time was at a standstill when he was with Chikayume. Before he knew it, the leaves were falling from the trees and winter was approaching.

It was like any other day. Kazuya was simply patrolling the village. It was colder than usual, forcing Kazuya to form a small fire in his hand. He simply wasn't used to the weather being this cold. Even with the fire, his teeth chattered, his body shivering from the cold. He could see his breath right before his eyes.

Kazuya then felt a small drop of water lightly tapping his skin. Was it raining? He looked around but could only see small white flakes falling. For a moment, he didn't know what it was. It took him a while to realize that what he was looking at was snow.

"_Oh, this is snow,_" Kazuya thought to himself as more white flakes began to descend. Since the climate in the Fire Nation was always warm, he had never seen snow before. He looked up at the sky and saw even more white dots falling from the gray sky. Even though it was cold, Kazuya didn't bother to try and find shelter. He wanted to continue watching the snow.

As usual, Chikayume was at the village to bring Kazuya lunch she had made herself. It had become a tradition for them to eat lunch together whenever the weather permitted it. Even when the weather was poor, Chikayume would still bring it to him since there wasn't anyone to really talk to. Zito would occasionally visit as well, though he normally could not stay for very long. By the time Chikayume had arrived, the ground was fully covered with snow.

"Why are you covered in snow?" Chikayume asked. Kazuya looked at his shoulders and noticed snow had lightly covered them. He guessed he wasn't paying attention enough to notice. Chikayume brushed the snow off his shoulders. Kazuya noticed she was carrying a parasail to keep the snow from falling on her and the basket. Without a moment's hesitation, she handed him his lunch. "Is this your first time seeing snow?"

"Uh...yeah. How did you know?" Kazuya asked as he took his lunch.

"Because you won't stop staring at it," Chikayume answered. Kazuya didn't respond and instead the two watched the snow fall together for a moment. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Kazuya said absentmindedly.

"Here," Chikayume said, handing him her parasail. "You can borrow my parasail so you won't be covered in snow."

"Huh, are you crazy, I'm not holding that," Kazuya said.

"But why not?" Chikayume asked, disappointment in her voice.

"Because it's pink and has flowers on it!" Kazuya complained.

"But it's pretty....."

"Yeah, maybe for you!"

"Fine then," Chikayume said, "I'll just hold it _for_ you." She then placed the parasail over the both of them. Kazuya was about to protest but he stopped himself. There wasn't any point in arguing with her. Besides, if she needed to be home, Zito would come and get her. So for now, the two simply stood together under the pink parasail with flowers, watching the snow fall.

The same events usually occurred each time it snowed. Chikayume would bring her parasail and the two would stand together for a while until Zito came to fetch her. On the days it did not snow, Kazuya and Chikayume would share their lunch together just as they always had before. Until one day, when the snow was already disappearing and being replaced with rain, Chikayume did not come. Kazuya figured this was due to the fact she could not leave the house. However, as the days passed, he began to worry. Spring was on its way and yet there was no Chikayume in sight. Kazuya was not only worried but also began to feel lonely. It was true he had been receiving letters from Zano ever since his departure but those could never fill the void.

One day, quite surprisingly, Kazuya saw Zito coming towards him. The look on Zito's face appeared to show no emotion at all but there was no doubt Zito was completely serious in whatever he was about to discuss with Kazuya.

"We need to talk," he said lowly and quite simply. Without waiting for Kazuya to respond, he began to walk back the way he came. The marketplace was starting to get busy again so it was clearly wise for Zito to immediately leave as not to cause suspicion among the residents. Kazuya waited a few minutes until he too departed towards the outskirts of the village.

"What is it? Where's Chikayume?" was the first thing Kazuya said to Zito.

"She's been sick."

"This long? It's been nearly ten days."

"I know. I'm worried," Zito confessed.

"Well, yeah I would think. It's not good for someone to be sick for so long."

"No, I'm not worried about that."

"What do you mean?" Kazuya said, completely confused.

"She's only sick in the morning and by the afternoon she feels better only to have it start all over again the next day. I've been doing some research...." Zito's voice trailed off.

"Yeah and did you find anything? Do you know what she has?" Kazuya asked, now nervous.

"If I'm correct....she doesn't _have_ anything," Zito said.

"Huh?"

"I think she might be pregnant."

It was a simple, direct statement and yet one that caused a rush of emotions to fill Kazuya. He didn't know what to think. He didn't even know what to say. The only thing he could do was light his pipe and smoke furiously.

"What?" was all Kazuya could finally manage to say.

"I think _you_ got _her_ pregnant."

"Bullshit."

"Well _I_ didn't do it!" Zito said as he began to get frustrated with the whole situation. "I mean, do you realize what you've _done_? There's no way this is going to fly with anyone! We're all dead if this gets out."

"So what do we do?" Kazuya asked, attempting to remain calm though this wasn't working. Zito placed his thumb and forefinger in between his eyebrows as he attempted to think.

"There's no way we can hide the pregnancy for much longer....someone is going to notice her sickness....so whatever we're going to do...we better do it fast."

"Why don't we just say you did it?" Kazuya suggested.

"What?"

"Well ....it kind of makes sense....you two are always together....." Kazuya said, now feeling his idea was rather idiotic. Zito took a moment to think about Kazuya's proposal.

"That could work....but...for it to work...I'd have to marry her. It's unacceptable for our class to ....do that before being wed. And we're betrothed anyway....so it shouldn't look too suspicious."

"Wait...you two are betrothed?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Then why haven't you gotten married yet? I mean, you're old enough, right?"

"But we don't like each other like that. We never have. The only reason we're good friends is because of our betrothal. But now...I guess that comes in handy."

"Yeah," Kazuya said, slightly bitter by the whole idea.

But there was nothing he could do to change the scenario. It simply had to be done. They could all be killed otherwise. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't help but to be upset we he heard the wedding occur in the far off distance less than a week later. All he could do was tell himself it was for her safety if anything else along with whoever was inside her. At some point, Kazuya left the marketplace and sat by the tree where he used to eat lunch with Chikayume. He couldn't stand to be around anyone that day even if it was in a crowd of people he never spoke to. The idea of the day's events simply sickened him.

He wasn't expecting to see Chikayume bring him lunch that day much less in her wedding dress. Yet there she was, smiling as though nothing had happened.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at your wedding?" Kazuya asked as he eyed her dress. He'd never seen a wedding before either: at least, he had never been invited to one.

"Well...I thought I'd come by today.....it's a good thing you're not in the village..." Chikayume said softly.

"How are you feeling?" Kazuya forced himself to ask.

"Better. It's the end of the day so it isn't as bad." She paused for a moment before coming closer to where Kazuya was sitting. She bent down to take his hand. "Kazuya..." Chikayume murmured as she squeezed his hand lightly, "We'll get marry one day, won't we? When the war's over....we'll be together...right?" She choked on the last part, as tears began to fall down her face. Alarmed, Kazuya rose to his feet and put his arms around her.

"Hey, what are you crying for? You don't want to cry on your wedding day," Kazuya said gently.

"But I don't want to get married!" she cried as she held onto him tighter. Of course she would be upset, she was the one forced to marry someone she didn't want to. At least Kazuya didn't have to go through that.

"I'm sure Zito doesn't want to either. But, it's not like we'll never see each other, right? And once when the Avatar comes, then of course we'll get married," Kazuya said despite how hard it was to even think about his own potential marriage. Chikayume looked up at his words, the tears stopping as she was pacified by his statement. "Besides," Kazuya added, "it's not just about us anymore."

No one was suspicious or surprised when it eventually became evident by all that Chikayume was pregnant. Everyone simply accepted the assumption it had been a consequence of the events after the wedding. And so, Zito and Chikayume were forced to play the part of husband and wife while Kazuya went about his daily business as a Fire Nation soldier. Yet, instead of staying in the marketplace, Kazuya felt compelled to remain close to the outskirts of the village.

Once her sickness subsided, Chikayume began to once again visit Kazuya.

"What do you think we should name it?" Chikayume asked one day.

"What are you talking about?"

"The baby, what do we name it?"

"Oh," Kazuya answered. He never liked to think about the cause of the situation they were currently in. "I don't know, pick something."

"This is an important issue we have to discuss! I'm not picking it by myself!" Chikayume said, getting flustered.

"Alright, alright. Take it easy," Kazuya said.

"What are your parents' names? Maybe we could name it after them," Chikayume suggested.

"That's been done before. It needs to be original," Kazuya answered.

"Do you have any suggestions then?" Kazuya looked up at the sky with his pipe in his mouth as he thought about it for a minute.

"Well.....if it's a boy, we should name him Taimu after the play we did. Or is that a dumb idea?"

"I think it's a nice idea," Chikayume said. "What if it's a girl?"

"You can come up with one too, you know." Chikayume groaned slightly and then placed her finger against her lips as she attempted to think of a name. After several minutes, Kazuya wondered if Chikayume was even still thinking of a name.

"How about Ai," Chikayume said.

"Ai?"

"Yes, Ai....it means 'love'," Chikayume explained.

"Ai...." Kazuya repeated to himself. "that sounds nice. I think there's a dragon they call Ai."

"Really?"

"Yeah...but she's probably dead by now...the Fire Nation has been hunting dragons for years."

"That's terrible!"

"Well, that's the Fire Nation for you."

"Well....it's still a nice name either way."

Between the wedding and Chikayume's pregnancy progressing, it wasn't long before summer was approaching. Kazuya could not believe he had only been away from home for a year. One year and so much had happened. It was hard to believe: some events more than others.

The sun was beating down mercilessly that day. Kazuya wished he wasn't wearing his uniform. He watched a few people walk by with light material, looking slightly more comfortable than he was. Instinctively, Kazuya lifted the collar of his uniform hoping to let some air in. He knew this was futile but proceeded none the less. What he wouldn't give to be a water bender.

Another soldier walked past him, handing him a piece of paper. Mail was normally distributed at certain hours of the day but when someone was located in a leisure post, people sent messages when there was nothing better to do. Kazuya guessed it was a letter from Zano since his parents never responded to his letters. He opened the letter absentmindedly. It was only when he noticed the formal writing style that he began to pay attention.

Kazuya's hand trembled as his eyes followed each word. His head began to swim with so many thoughts, he found himself reading the same phrases over and over again. He could feel the color draining from his skin and the heat no longer bothered him.

The only thing he could think of was to leave his current location. He wanted to leave-now. It didn't matter where he went. Kazuya found himself stumbling towards the trees where Chikayume would be waiting for him. But he wasn't thinking about that at the time. Perhaps it was a subconscious effort but that simply didn't matter. He simply walked over to the tree and collapsed. Kazuya didn't bother to light his pipe. He didn't bother to do anything. Then, without warning, Kazuya let out a cry. But one cry wasn't enough and before he knew it, Kazuya was sobbing.

"_Those bastards!"_ was the only thought that flashed through his mind as he scrunched up the letter informing him of Zano's death and threw it to the ground.

As soon as Chikayume stepped within ten feet of Kazuya, she knew something was wrong. By now, Kazuya had managed to calm himself down though he was still breathing heavily due to exhaustion. She took a few steps closer, her feet just inches away from the crumpled letter.

"Kazuya...." Chikayume began. Kazuya shifted his gaze towards her. "what's wrong?" Kazuya didn't answer the question. He simply looked at the piece of paper that was near her. Chikayume followed his gaze and found the letter. She picked it up and read the contents. Her eyes glazed as she reached the conclusion of the letter. She then sat next to Kazuya and held him tightly. Kazuya was too dazed to resist her comfort. He felt something small and wet brush against his hair and he guessed they were Chikayume's own tears.

They didn't even bother to eat lunch that day. Instead, they held each other the entire time.

Days passed and yet sorrow continued to fill Kazuya as though each day was the first day of finding out about Zano's death and this day continued to repeat itself in a never-ending cycle. He barely ate, barely spoke. Chikayume became increasingly worried yet there was nothing she could do. It was as if Kazuya had become a lost soul.

Kazuya was sitting by the tree, waiting for Chikayume to arrive. Though, to his surprise, he saw Zito walking towards him instead. He showed no hint of his slight surprise and instead chose to remain seated.

"Kazuya, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Zito said, rather irritated. "I know you're upset about Zano but you can't let that consume your life. You still have to take care of Chikayume or did you forget that?"

"Easy for you to say," Kazuya muttered. Without warning, Zito grabbed Kazuya up from the ground by his arm. Kazuya's eyes widened: he wasn't expecting this from Zito.

"Don't talk like that! You think you're the only suffering from Zano's death? He was my friend too! At least you can mourn in public...and you've done enough of that. Now pull yourself together damn it!" Angrily, he released Kazuya from his grip. Kazuya was still too stunned to speak. "You're going to be a father soon: what are you going to do about that if you're still moping?" Zito added, more calmly than before. Kazuya paused for a few minutes until he finally took his pipe and began to smoke.

"You know, I think you're more ready for this than any of us," Kazuya stated.

"You just need to grow up," Zito replied.

"I guess I do," Kazuya replied. "I should get going before they start wondering where I am. Tell Chikayume she owes me a lunch." Kazuya turned and began to walk towards the village. "Zito," he said, pausing a few moments to see if Zito would respond, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he heard Zito say from behind. With that, Kazuya continued his short walk to the village.

Days passed after days as Kazuya's grief subsided. He had other important things to dwell on. As the days past, Kazuya grew more anxious. Especially when it started kicking.

"If it kicks a lot, that means it's a boy," Kazuya said when he happened to be in a more relaxed mood about the whole situation.

"No it doesn't!" Chikayume exclaimed.

"Well either way, he's going to be the greatest Fire Nation baby in the world!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"Stop saying it's a he! You could be offending her. Kazuya is sorry, baby," Chikayume said, now addressing her stomach.

"It can't hear us."

"Yes it can!"

Other than those few instances when Kazuya would be uplifting, for the most part he would looking down at Chikayume's growing stomach. Everyday, it appeared to grow but Kazuya knew it was just his imagination. Still, a part of him felt almost haunted by the unborn child.

The leaves were already beginning to fall. Summer had gone by all too quickly. The weather was slightly chillier yet it wasn't extremely cold either. It was the perfect type of weather for Kazuya's uniform. He enjoyed the fall the best for this reason and this reason only.

As soon as Zito came into view, Kazuya knew something was happening. Zito simply walked passed Kazuya.

"Meet me by the Yuu House," he murmured softly as he continued to walk by as though nothing had happened.

Kazuya waited a few minutes before following Zito's orders. When he did reach the Yuu House, Zito was already there. Before Kazuya had time to say anything, Zito threw a bundle of clothes at him.

"Put these on. Quick." Kazuya immediately ran into the house, quickly changing into the Earth Kingdom clothes he was given.

Kazuya wasn't prepared for what happened next. As soon as he exited the house, he saw a fist come flying towards him. Since he wasn't expecting it, there was no way for Kazuya to dodge the blow. He felt a pang of pain upon impact. Instinctively he placed a hand to his nose where the punch had hit the hardest. His hand was covered in blood. Kazuya looked up to see Zito staring at him with blood on his fist.

"What the hell was that for?" Kazuya asked.

"I'm doing you a favor," Zito said as he grabbed Kazuya by the arm and started pulling him forward.

"Punching my nose is a favor?" Kazuya asked, pain still surrounding his nose.

"Yeah, you owe me one." Kazuya tried desperately to wipe the blood off, his hands and shirt becoming soaked. He looked up briefly to see that they were approaching Chikayume's house. Zito was leading Kazuya down the halls, to a part of the house Kazuya had never been to. It was difficult to get a good look at his surroundings since he was too pre-occupied with his nose. Down one corridor, people were running frantically, not bothering to notice Kazuya with his bleeding nose.

Kazuya nearly bumped into Zito when Zito came to an abrupt stop in front of a door. A woman was standing there as though keeping guard.

"Where have you been?" she asked frantically.

"I stepped out for some fresh air but this man was injured. He needs a doctor right away."

"The doctor is already inside...I guess you better bring him in too," she said, looking at Kazuya. Before she could change her mind, Zito pulled Kazuya into the room.

The doctor currently wasn't busy but the nurse was. Chikayume was lying on a bed. Kazuya could see she was in pain but the only thing he could think of was fixing his nose. The doctor briskly walked over to him and began to examine his nose.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I...fell...." Kazuya said, quickly covering up the lie though he desperately wanted to blame Zito.

"Well....I don't think it's broken...you're lucky I'm not needed now." The doctor looked over to Chikayume to see how she was doing. He then began to work on Kazuya's nose by stopping the bleeding. While the doctor was placing a bandage on Kazuya's nose, Chikayume yelped in pain. The doctor immediately stopped what he was doing. "Stay here," he told Kazuya. Zito went to Chikayume's side as well.

As everyone focused their attention on Chikayume, it finally occurred to Kazuya what was going on. Gradually, Kazuya began to glide towards the other side of Chikayume. He stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. The doctor didn't seem to mind; he was too busy to tell Kazuya to go away. Chikayume grabbed Kazuya's hand. Kazuya looked over and saw she was already doing the same with Zito's hand. Whether she did this on purpose so as not to raise suspicion, Kazuya wasn't sure. He guessed not though due to the fact Chikayume was now squeezing his hand mercilessly. He didn't think someone so small would have such a tight grip.

Kazuya continued to hold Chikayume's hand. His nose still throbbed with pain and his hand was now possibly losing circulation but that no longer mattered. All sounds were completely drowned out of his mind until he heard the sound of a baby crying. Kazuya looked over towards the source of the sound to find the nurse bundling something up. His gaze followed the bundle as it was passed around. He heard someone mention it was a girl before the doctor came up to him.

"Now, let's bandage up that nose," he said as he continued the work he had started. Out of the corner of his eye, Kazuya watched as Chikayume and Zito held the baby. He saw Zito angle her towards his direction indiscreetly.

When he was finished being bandaged, Kazuya walked over towards the baby. He didn't care if it was an unusual or suspicious thing to do.

"Do you want to hold her? You did help, after all," Zito said. Kazuya hesitated a moment, turning towards the doctor to see if there was a problem with that. He simply gave a nod in Kazuya's direction. Kazuya held out his hands as Zito handed him the baby. "Her name is Ai," Zito made sure to add.

Kazuya looked down at the small baby. Small was definitely an understatement; she was tiny with no hair on top of her head. Her eyes were open, small almond colored eyes. He could see a tint of ember swimming within the ember but it was very faint. She was no longer crying; she simply looked up at him, wondering who he was. He didn't offer any hints of his identity: he simply continued to stare back at her. There was a rush of emotions filling up inside of him; emotions that no words could describe. This was his daughter. This was Ai.


	9. Closing of the Curtains

**Closing of the Curtains**

"Ai, it's time to eat," Chikayume called to the little girl running around chasing a butterfly. The air rushed passed her and gently brushed against the pink flower that was nestled in Ai's hair. She tripped occasionally on her light green Earth Kingdom dress that was a tad bit too long for her. Chikayume took notice in this and made a mental note to fix her dress when they returned home. A light breeze came through, forcing Chikayume to brush her long hair back behind her ears. After the breeze subsided, Chikayume's hair rested back against her green dress.

"Aw, let her play for a little longer. It's entertaining," Kazuya said as he watched his daughter giggle with delight. Chikayume glared at him for a moment.

"Ai, you can play later," Chikayume called again. Ai ceased playing her game and ran over towards her parents who were both sitting under the tree. Kazuya took a piece of bread and showed it to Ai.

"I'll give you this bread if you show me your firebending," Kazuya offered.

"She's not a pigmy panther, Kazuya," Chikayume frowned.

"Ai, don't listen to your mother. Go on, show me."

Ai held out her small hand. Gradually, a flame smaller than her pinky began to take form. Before she had time to allow the flame to grow, Kazuya picked her up and held her up.

"Our baby is going to be the best Fire Bender the world has ever seen!" he exclaimed. Ai laughed at her father's enthusiasm. "That's right; you're going to be the Amazing Ai!" She laughed even harder at this comment. Kazuya then placed her down on the ground and handed her the piece of bread.

"Daddy, do I get wear a uniform like you when I get older?" Ai asked as she held the bread in her hands.

"You? Wear a uniform? Nonsense. No daughter of mine is going to have to wear a uniform. You'll be so great, they'll let you wear whatever you want," Kazuya said as he patted Ai's head.

"I want to wear red!" Ai exclaimed.

"Then red it is!" Kazuya exclaimed, as equally excited as Ai was.

"Ai, why don't you eat so you can go play again? We can't stay here very long," Chikayume said gently though her eyes showed she was clearly bothered by something.

"Okay Mommy," Ai said as she immediately sat down. She began to eat the piece of bread her father had given to her.

"So Ai what did you do today?" Kazuya asked as he normally did everyday.

"Played outside," Ai answered. She was already moving on to the small parcel her mother had made for her. "And Zito showed me the fishies in the water."

"Fishes?" Kazuya asked.

"We have a pond in the back. Zito bought fishes and put them in today," Chikayume explained.

"And we threw bread and the fishies ate it all up!" Ai added.

"They must have been hungry. Did you see any turtle-ducks?" Kazuya asked.

"What's a turtle-duck?" Ai asked.

"They're animals that like to sit in the water and they'll gobble up bread if you throw it in the water," Kazuya explained.

"Wow, Mommy can we get turtle-ducks?" Ai asked.

"You have to wait for them to come," Chikayume said.

"If you keep feeding the fishes bread, they'll come one day," Kazuya said. "And when they do, you can tell me all about it."

"Okay," Ai said. "Will you feed the turtle-ducks too?"

"Maybe one day," Kazuya said though he knew Ai wasn't satisfied with his answer by the look on her face. Ai didn't say anymore and instead continued to eat her meal so she could play again. There wasn't that much left to eat so she finished it rather quickly.

"Mommy, can I go play now?" Ai asked. Chikayume nodded her head allowing her daughter to play once more.

"Hey Ai," Kazuya said as Ai was about to chase butterflies, "when the turtle-ducks come, you let me know and we'll feed them together."

"Okay Daddy," Ai said, now finding the answer she was looking for. She then ran after a butterfly that had just flown passed. Chikayume waited until Ai was out of an earshot's length.

"You're playing a dangerous game Kazuya," Chikayume remarked.

"Huh? What do you mean," Kazuya asked.

"You need to watch what you say to her Kazuya. She's only three years old. She too young to understand the situation we're in," Chikayume said, her voice stern.

"No one's going to listen to her. She's too young."

"You can't assume that. If she starts talking about the Fire Nation, people might start to pay attention," Chikayume hissed. "And don't tell her things you know you won't be able to do. She's already started questioning why you don't ever come home."

"What did you tell her?" Kazuya asked.

"I told her you're working," Chikayume answered.

"Why would she ask something like that?"

"She sees things from playing with the other kids, Kazuya. She sees their fathers come home every evening." Kazuya didn't say anything for a moment as he pondered the predicament.

"Alright, I'll watch what I say," Kazuya said.

"There's something else," Chikayume said.

"What is it?"

"I ...don't feel Ai is safe here anymore," Chikayume confessed.

"Why not?"

"I just get this feeling that people are starting to suspect something. Her firebending doesn't help either," Chikayume said lowly.

"What's wrong with her firebending?" Kazuya asked, slightly defended.

"What if someone catches her? Did you ever think of that?"

"So what are you suggesting we do about that?" Kazuya asked. The two suddenly stopped talking as Ai came towards them. She was holding a flower by its stem. Ai walked towards her mother and handed it to her. Chikayume hugged her.

"Thank you sweetie," Chikayume said as she held her daughter. She then let go of Ai, allowing her to run off again. Chikayume watched Ai for a while. They both did.

"I think we should go to the Fire Nation," Chikayume finally said.

"What! You're safer here than you are there," Kazuya said.

"Maybe but....Ai would be accepted there..." Chikayume said. "If she stays here....people will most likely find out eventually. She'll be an outcast. Everyone will shun her and she'll be all alone. At least in the Fire Nation people will see her bending as a gift. It doesn't matter what's safest for me. What matters, is what's best for Ai."

Kazuya imagined his daughter sitting in the grass alone. Behind her were a group of people whose faces he couldn't see but whose voices he could clearly hear. They were full of whispers and although he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying he knew they were talking about Ai. And Ai just sat there, oblivious to this, too young to understand what the problem was.

"Daddy..." Ai murmured. Kazuya snapped out of his train of thought and looked up to see Ai handing him a flower. He stared at her for a minute and then hugged her just as her mother had done.

"Thank you...Ai," he said as he held her tightly. Kazuya then let go and once again Ai ran off to play some more.

"You two will leave. You can stay with my parents," Kazuya said once Ai had been a good distance away.

"You're not coming with us?" Chikayume asked.

"I can't," Kazuya answered, "If I did, they'd kill me. There have only been a few who have left the Fire Nation Army and lived. I'll have to stay here until I can get a transfer." Chikayume looked at him for a while and Kazuya could tell she was already beginning to have her doubts about her plan. "It's for the best," Kazuya assured her.

**OoOoOoOo**

Ai was in her night gown sitting on the floor of the Yuu House. It was dark so she formed a small flame in the palm of her hand. With the other hand, she moved one of her toys across the floor as though it were moving from one destination to the next. Kazuya watched her steadily as she enjoyed staying up past her bedtime.

Kazuya reformed the plan in his mind. Zito, Chikayume, and Ai were departing tonight for a "trip". Kazuya had a letter stating he was to escort Ai and Chikayume to the Fire Nation. It had taken a while to get the letter, telling his superiors his cousin and her daughter had unexpectedly come to visit him and he thought it was best if he accompanied them home. Zito would then leave for his trip while Kazuya brought Chikayume and Ai to the dock where a ship was waiting for them. While Kazuya was bringing Chikayume and Ai to the Fire Nation, Zito would return home, explaining an accident had occurred while they were away, killing both his wife and child. Now, Kazuya just had to wait for Zito and Chikayume to finish organizing some things. He had an extra Fire Nation uniform for Zito if for some reason he couldn't bring Chikayume and Ai to the dock.

"_This plan will work. We'll be fine," _Kazuya told himself as he continued to stare at Ai. She was now beginning to get tired as she yawned. Her arm barely moved across the floor with her toy and the fire in her hand was fading. Kazuya arose from where he was sitting and walked over to Ai. He sat down near her, gently scooping her in his arms. She rubbed her eyes and rested against him. The fire in her hand went out, leaving them in darkness for a moment. Kazuya then allowed a small flame to grow in his own hand as he continued to hold Ai with his other arm.

Ai refused to close her eyes. They remained slightly open, attempting to fight off sleep. Her breathing was steady as her slightly opened eyes stared at the flame her father had produced. Kazuya looked down at her, completely entranced by his daughter. He knew his mother would love her regardless of where Ai's mother came from. Yet, thinking of Ai being in the Fire Nation also saddened him. If she was in the Fire Nation, he would hardly ever get to see her or Chikayume. The next time he saw her, he wondered how old she would be and if she would still be tiny like she was now. Would he miss her first day of school? Or who was going to take her to Ember Island for the first time? And who was going to feed the turtle-ducks with her?

"_And you didn't even want her in the beginning," _Kazuya thought to himself. He remembered that thought of anxiety all too well. But that all disappeared when he first saw her look at him. Now, he couldn't get enough of her which was why it hurt him to think he might never see her again.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Ai jumped a little at this sudden intrusion. Kazuya looked over to see Zito rushing in, panting. Fear was clearly visible in his eyes.

"They found out.... I don't know how.... but they found out!" Zito said, attempting to catch his breath in between phrases. Kazuya clutched Ai tightly upon hearing this news. "Chikayume's in trouble!" Zito added. Kazuya's eyes lit up in fear. He looked down at Ai before getting up. Gently, he put Ai down, forcing her to stand on her feet. She wobbled a little but managed to stay up. Kazuya put both hands on Ai's shoulder. They were all once again in the darkness with only the moon and star to provide light.

"Ai, listen to me," Kazuya said, his speech rather brisk due to his urgency. "No matter what anyone tells you, you're special and don't you forget it."

"Uh huh," Ai said though she was barely awake by this time.

"I love you."

"I love you too Daddy," she managed to say. She put her arms around him and Kazuya held her tightly. Ai gave him a good night kiss she had normally given her mother at night and was ready to fall asleep. Kazuya looked down at her one last time before running out of the Yuu House.

"Ai, make sure no one finds you here," Zito added before he too ran out of the house. Ai, however, was too tired and fell asleep where she had been standing.

Zito ran as fast as he could in order to catch up to Kazuya. He didn't need to show Kazuya where to go: shouts could be heard not too far off. Kazuya came to an abrupt stop when they were just a few feet away from the mob that had assembled.

"Zito...no matter what happens, promise me something," Kazuya said as he panted.

"What is it?" Zito asked.

"Promise me you'll act as though you didn't know about any of this," Kazuya said.

"I can't do that," Zito responded.

"You have to! You have to for Ai! You've got to promise me you'll take care of her," Kazuya yelled.

"...I promise," Zito said.

"Make sure you're a safe distance away," Kazuya added before he ran down towards the mob. He didn't bother to look back to see if Zito had listened to him. He just kept running towards the mob.

Kazuya could see Fire Nation soldiers were attempting to control the crowd of raging people. However, at the same time, they didn't want to seriously injure any of them otherwise the crowd would come after them. They knew they couldn't take an angry mob lightly especially when they lacked experience. Kazuya pushed through these people. He saw Chikayume cornered by the crowd. Quickly, he ran to her side and covered her with his body. She looked up at him, surprised.

"Where's Ai?" she asked, her voice in panic as she wondered where her daughter was.

"She's safe, don't worry," Kazuya replied. The crowd began to shout louder upon realizing Kazuya must have been the father of the hybrid child. However, they didn't attack: not yet.

Kazuya saw a piece of earth come flying towards them. Without hesitating, Kazuya created a flame to crush the earth into millions of tiny pieces. Kazuya could see the Fire Nation soldiers were making progress. They were just a few feet away. He needed to just hold off these people for a little longer.

But the people of the Earth Kingdom village saw this too and this only caused them to attack full force. Kazuya attempted to hold them off as best he could but the circle around them was gradually tightening. He wasn't looking to win the fight or even save himself: he just wanted to by enough time so the Fire Nation soldiers could protect Chikayume. At the same time, he didn't want to kill anyone: just injure them enough so they would back off.

Kazuya sent another flame in the direction of a boulder. As he did this, he was completely open and defenseless. Someone took this opportunity to shove his sword in Kazuya's direction.

He felt a sharp pain upon impact. It was sharper than Zito's punch to the nose. Kazuya simply stood where he was due to shock. He could only move his hands to cover his wound. He felt a warm liquid quickly soaking his hands and he knew without looking it was blood.

"Kazuya!" he heard Chikayume shriek in anguish as he fell to the ground, unable to support himself. He laid there as he felt the life draining out of him. He felt Chikayume's hands on his shoulders, crying, begging him to get up. But he couldn't: he tried to but he just couldn't. Blood was now completely surrounding him. Finally, Kazuya closed his eyes as his heart stopped beating.

**OoOoOoOo**

"You're mother died shortly after that," Zito told Ai as they both sat by the fireplace. Ai was clutching a pillow as she stared directly at him as he told her the story.

"What happened next?" Ai asked. Her eyes were glazed over as she desperately fought back tears. Zito didn't continue. Instead, his gaze shifted towards the fire. He sighed heavily.

**OOoOoOoOo**

The Yuu House was dark and full of silence other than the small breathing that was coming from the floor. Zito walked into the darkness slowly and carefully. He stood still where Ai lay sleeping before his feet. Gently, he picked her up. She stirred a little, barely opening her eyes.

"Zito...." she murmured as he held her.

"Shh...it's late. Go back to sleep Ai," Zito told her as he began to carry her out of the Yuu House.

"Where's Mommy and Daddy?" Ai asked. Zito didn't answer her. He just continued to carry her back to the house, remembering his promise to Kazuya.

The next morning, there was much talk about who was to take care of Ai. Her grandparents wanted nothing to do with her. Zito sent a letter informing Kazuya's parents of Ai but they never responded just as they had never responded to Kazuya's letters. Willingly, Zito raised Ai their home. Because no one realized Zito had been involved in the situation, the villagers saw him as a forgiving martyr not realizing that the true martyrs had lost their lives.

**OoOoOoO**

"And there you have it," Zito said as he concluded the story.

"That had a lot more detail in it than usual," Ai commented, her voice shaking slightly.

"Well, you're fifteen now and deserve to know the whole story," Zito explained. Ai nodded but hugged her pillow even tighter than before, clearly still disturbed by Zito's story. "Do you remember any of it Ai?" Zito asked gently. Ai shook her head.

"I still don't know what he looks like. I've only seen Mom's pictures," Ai murmured.

"The only picture we had was the one Kazuya gave to his parents and they never respond to any letters," Zito said.

"I know."

Zito sighed. He then got up from his seat and walked over to his desk.

"Ai," Zito said. "I'm going to give you something. You have to promise to take good care of it."

"Okay," Ai said. "I promise."

Zito took out a rather old looking book. He handed it to Ai. Ai took the book and gently brushed her fingers against the cover.

"That's the manuscript I worked on for our play," Zito said. "The one your father performed."

Ai opened the book and looked at the handwritten play before her. She studied it for a moment then closed the book.

"Thank you," Ai said. Zito placed his arms around her.

"As soon as this war is over, the first thing we'll do is go to the Fire Nation and get you the picture," Zito said.

"Uh huh," Ai replied.

"Now it's late. You should go to bed," Zito told her.

"Okay. Goodnight Zito."

"Goodnight Ai."

With that, Ai left Zito's study and began to walk down the corridor towards her own room. As soon as she reached the bed, she placed her whole body under the covers. Making a small flame that would not catch onto her blanket, Ai opened the book she had been given and began to read.


End file.
